<p>Hi. I am taking the SAT this coming October and have taken a vigorous summer SAT prep class and have been studying on my own as well. I got an 1810 for my diagnostic, jumped to the 2000s in a couple of weeks, and have been stuck at the high 2100s for a very long time now. I know it's a good score, but I had been hoping to reach the 2200s at this point so I could potentially get a 2300+ on the actual test. I usually score in the 700s for all three sections, but my weakest section changes from test to test. Whenever I review my incorrect answers I see that about 3/4 of the mistakes could be avoided, not only for math, but for critical reading and writing as well. Does anyone have any strategies to avoid careless errors, or should I just practice as much as I can? I really want to find a way to raise my stagnant score.</p>
<p>I am having the same problem…</p>
<p>Since I’m not the only one with this problem, bump?</p>
<p>Practice as much as you can and stay focused. You can’t do much about stupid mistakes. If you’re only getting the difficult problems you may just not be as good at them as you thought. I always checked my answers over, especially math.</p>
<p>Check this thread out: <a href=“I need help avoiding careless mistakes - Test Preparation - College Confidential Forums”>I need help avoiding careless mistakes - Test Preparation - College Confidential Forums;
<p>In my opinion, two things matter more than anything else: </p>
<p>1) Speed
2) Diligence</p>
<p>Go through the test fast. Math, finish in half the time. Critical Reading and Writing in 3/4 of the time.
Spend the rest of the time checking. </p>
<p>I actually disagree with the previous post about speed. IMO I tried working fast through the problems and then looking over them, but I find that just doesn’t work. It’s better to get them right all on the first try then having to detect errors when checking your answers. </p>
<p>Thanks guys for the responses. I will try out both of the methods: finishing fast and checking, and checking thoroughly the first time. I will practice more and let you guys know. When you finish the questions quickly and double check, do you redo the problems over again (with a different method if possible?). I usually just find myself skimming when I double check. It’s probably a diligence problem. Thank you guys again.</p>
<p>Hello everyone! I just thought I’d stick to my word and let everyone know how things are working out just in case there is anyone who actually wants to know. Within the past few weeks, I have been able to raise my score about 300 points. I took a collegeboard practice test at my sat tutoring center yesterday and I got a 2400! Really, the main thing I did was just practice. I would come home from school everyday and spend 2 hours practicing for the SAT (did not get a lot of sleep). I would practice sections from the blue book, and whenever I made careless errors I would think of strategies to prevent those kind of mistakes. For math, I started using new methods that allowed me to find the right answer as well as eliminate all wrong choices if possible. For critical reading and writing, it turned out that a lot of the mistakes I made were not exactly careless, but it always seemed obvious once I knew I made a mistake because of hindsight bias. I practiced and practiced and practiced, and eventually I could just understand what the question wanted since the questions are often similar and repetitive. Thank you everyone for the help. I hope I do just as well on the real SAT this October, and I want to wish everyone else taking the test this October lots and lots of good luck!</p>